The 1890 Initiative signs NIL partnerships with top returning Nebraska players

After launching three months ago, The 1890 Initiative has inked NIL deals with its first Nebraska Cornhusker football student-athletes.

The collective, founded by former Husker great Matt Davison and Nebraska businessman Tom Peed and Shawn Peed, has agreed to NIL partnerships with running back Anthony Grant, linebacker Nick Henrich, linebacker Luke Reimer, defensive lineman Ty Robinson and offensive tackle Teddy Prochazka.

The deals link The 1890 Initiative with some of the Huskers’ top returning players for 2023. It’s expected that almost the entire football roster at Nebraska will be a part of NIL deals with 1890 eventually. Over the past year, collectives have become a critical part of player retention and roster management for top college football programs.

Key Nebraska stars involved in NIL deal

Grant earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a junior in 2022. He led Nebraska with 218 carries – the most by a Husker since 2014 – while totaling 915 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns. He also averaged 76.3 rushing yards per game. Grant has an On3 NIL Valuation of $50,000.

Henrich, an Omaha native, was a team captain in 2022. He battled through injuries in his sophomore season but still finished with 37 tackles and three tackles for a loss. Henrich has an On3 NIL Valuation of $42,000.

Reimer, a Lincoln native, started 10 games as a junior in 2022, earning honorable mention all-conference honors for the second straight season.

He started the first six games of the season before an injury kept him out of the Purdue game, snapping his streak of 18 consecutive starts. He then started the next four contests before missing the season finale at Iowa. Despite the injuries, Reimer led Nebraska with 86 tackles while adding 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, five pass breakups and one interception. Reimer has an On3 NIL Valuation of $44,000.

Robinson started every game as a sophomore in 2022. He totaled 24 tackles with four tackles for a loss, two sacks and one pass breakup. Robinson has an On3 NIL Valuation of $121,000.

Prochazka, an Elkhorn, Nebraska, native, started the first three games at left tackle in 2022, but he suffered an injury against Georgia Southern that kept him out the rest of the season. He has an On3 NIL Valuation of $36,000.

The 1890 Initiative developing into top collective

The 1890 Initiative launched with much fanfare in October. But even then, collective leaders said it would take a little bit before we see the full scope of their game plan to assist Nebraska student-athletes.

Along with all of Davison’s ties to the program – which included 19 years on the Huskers’ radio broadcasts and helping raise $80 million for the NU’s new football facility project – having Tom and Shawn Peed associated is a big deal.

The Peeds run Sandhills Global, a company that produces a diverse range of products and services from well-established trade publications and websites to hosted technology services. They are among the most successful businessmen in the Midwest.

Plus, Davison will also build a team of employees for 1890 that will include Joe Selig as vice president for development. Selig announced earlier this year his planned retirement from his position as senior vice president for development for the University of Nebraska Foundation.

1890 is initially focused on Husker football and volleyball student-athletes. The plan is to assist them with NIL opportunities in Nebraska through local charities, partnerships and networking with local businesses. NIL opportunities, according to 1890, will include camps and clinics, community outreach, autograph signings, public appearances, nonprofit engagement, social media promotions and other activities.

“There are a lot of questions about the future of Nebraska football, and NIL is a big component of that,” On3’s HuskerOnline Publisher Sean Callahan said.

“Having a collective backed by the Peeds and led by Matt Davison and Joe Selig is a home run. Davison was responsible for raising $80 million for Nebraska’s new football facility project, while Selig is one of the most respected University of Nebraska fundraisers of all time.”

1890 Initiative absorbs Athlete Branding & Marketing

Another sure sign that the move by Davison and the Peed family is massive for the Cornhuskers is that 1890 absorbed Athlete Branding & Marketing. Athlete Branding & Marketing was the first and most prominent collective to offer NIL opportunities to Nebraska athletes. ABM, which has an office in the Haymarket district in Lincoln, has represented dozens of mostly football and volleyball players since August of 2021.

ABM ceased operations at the end of 2022. It had been headed by Gerrod Lambrecht, the former Nebraska football chief of staff under former head coach Scott Frost. When Frost was dismissed on Sept. 11, Davison said he at that point knew ABM “was going to wind down operations by the end of the year.”

Matt Rhule wants Nebraska to do NIL correctly

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule made it clear on National Signing Day NIL will play a huge role in helping turn around the Big Red. But he wants to ensure he follows the rules and supports his players the right way.

“You can see it’s being misused and mishandled in a lot of places,” he said. “I can’t start that relationship off with lies. I can’t start that relationship off by saying, ‘Hey, I want to help you be the best man you can be. But let me go tamper with someone on someone else’s roster and start it off by cheating, which is happening everywhere right now. It’s saddening to me…

“That being said, I want it done the right way for our guys. I don’t get involved in it. Even in the NFL, I didn’t want players looking at me saying, ‘Why’s he making this and you’re making?’ By rule, I can’t be involved in it… I think the key for me is to recruit guys who want to be here, not who want to come for the best NIL.”

On top of all of that, Rhule is concerned about the mental health of young players, dealing with high expectations at their schools in the wake of the pandemic. He doesn’t want NIL to become another source of stress for them.

“We’re just going to ruin kids. I think NIL is awesome. Let me say that when done right. When done professionally. I’m so thrilled with the setup here because like everything else, like true Nebraskans, they’re going to do things the right way, and to help kids, not to take advantage of kids.”